Microsoft has sold 10 million Xbox 360 game consoles in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in just four years, making it the only console showing positive year-on-year growth in 2009 according to the latest figures from market research firm Gfk.

"Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox Live currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival Playstation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games," said Martin Olausson, director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics.

"By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years," Olausson added.

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"Unfortunately we haven't been in a position yet to confirm launch dates where we don't have Live (like the Middle East)," Robert Dekker, E&D marketing manager for Microsoft EMEA, told itp.net. "Launching Live now in any country is more complex than it was four years ago and obviously we are seeking to provide that high level, rather than to say we could potentially launch something easy and quick. That's not the direction we want to do and I don't think customers will appreciate it if we do that."

This is all well and good but nearly all the countries where xbox Live was rolled out had a communicated roadmap of when it was likely to happen.
It would be most welcome for the Middle East, or even just the UAE to have some kind of timeline.
As an expat working here its incredible how many gamers there are in the region (local and expat) and how fantastic its been to build relationships through gaming - regardless of cultural background.
Microsoft are missing a trick here.